The Rivers of Zadaa (10 page)

ZADAA

W
e didn't run into any more quig-snakes on the way up and out of the flume cavern, I'm happy to report. Alder led the way, but without his sword or knife. He had to abandon his Denduron armor and weapons at the flume. Mixing items between territories wasn't allowed. But I guess I don't have to point that out anymore. Saangi fixed him up with a white Rokador tunic since he looked a heck of a lot more like a Rokador than a dark-skinned Batu. She also gave him a silver-rod weapon like the Tiggen guards had carried at the farm above. It was about three feet long with a leather handle on one end that had a loop to go around your wrist.

“What do I do with this?” Alder asked. “It has no blade.”

“It is an effective weapon,” Loor assured him. “You will see.”

We climbed up the footholds, through the trapdoor and stood together in the rock-walled room that the Rokador used to store machine parts. Loor slammed the trapdoor shut that bore the star symbol marking it as a gate to the flume. She covered it with sand, hiding it completely.

“Where to now?” I asked Loor.

“To a place where we will not be disturbed by Batu or Rokador,” she answered.

We left the room, following Loor through the twisting tunnel that I had walked through several times before on visits to Zadaa. Shortly we left the smaller tunnel to enter the huge cavern that once held an underground river. When Spader and I were first here, there was a four-story waterfall on one side of the immense cavern that fed a deep, raging river. Now there was only a dribble of water that fell from a rocky mouth into a pathetic trickle of a stream at the bottom of the mostly dry riverbed.

“What happened here?” Alder asked.

“There is a lot to tell,” Loor answered. “Later.”

Alder accepted that. He was an easy guy.

Loor led us to the opening that was once hidden behind the waterfall, but was now in plain sight. We climbed a few stone stairs, stepped through the portal, and entered a room that held the water-control device I have described to you before. To remind you guys, this thing looked like one of those giant pipe-organs that you see in church. But these pipes ran horizontally, disappearing into the rock wall on either side of the room. There was a platform in front of it that held an amazing array of switches and valves. When I first came here, there was a Rokador engineer on that platform, feverishly working the controls like an expert. I had no idea what the device did, other than knowing it had something to do with controlling the flow of water from the rivers. The guy had maps and diagrams that he referred to while he quickly made adjustments and toggled switches.

Now the platform was empty. A thin layer of sand and dust covered the control board.

“This is one of the many switching stations that the Rokador engineers use to control the rivers of Zadaa,” Loor explained.

“I guess there isn't much to do here anymore,” I said sadly.

I heard a booming voice behind me say: “At least for now.”

We all turned quickly to see Bokka, the Tiggen guard striding toward us. He was followed by Teek and the other two goons from the farm. At least I assumed they were the same two guys. They didn't drop their hoods last time so I suppose they could be different characters. But it was definitely Bokka. Handsome, confidant Bokka. He didn't wear his goggles down here, so this time I got to see his eyes. They were a unique shade of light green. I had never seen eyes like his before. A quick glance at Teek and the other Tiggen guards revealed that they all had light green eyes. I figured it had something to do with living underground.

Bokka scanned us all in a way that told me he was sizing us up in case there was trouble. His eyes fell on Alder. “And who is this new guest who dresses like a Rokador and carries our weapon?” Bokka asked.

Loor took the lead, saying: “He is from Pendragon's tribe. He, too, has come to help.”

“The Yankees tribe?” Bokka asked.

At first I didn't know what the heck he was talking about. I guarantee Alder didn't have a clue either. But he knew enough not to say anything.

“Right,” I said, suddenly remembering. “The Yankees tribe. Scourge of the American League.”

Nobody had any idea what I was talking about, which was kind of fun.

“Welcome, Alder,” Bokka said warmly. “We're honored to have you.”

Bokka's friends didn't look all too pleased. They stood there, staring at us like we were the enemy. What a bunch of clones.

“What's with your buddies?” I asked. “Don't they trust us?”

Bokka glanced back to his pals. “Forgive them,” he said. “They are Tiggen guards. It is their job to be suspicious of outsiders.”

“Then why aren't you suspicious of us?” I asked.

“Because Loor tells me I shouldn't be,” Bokka said. He looked at Loor and smiled. Loor smiled back and looked down like some freakin' girly-girl. This guy was a little bit too charming for me.

“I understand you had an accident,” Teek said to me.

Accident? I could use a lot of words to describe what had happened to me. “Accident” wasn't one of them.

“Yes,” I said. “I ran into the club of a Ghee warrior a couple hundred times. But you know, accidents happen.”

“I'm sorry to hear you went through so much pain, Pendragon,” Bokka said. “But I'm happy to see you've recovered.” He sounded like he meant it too. I wanted to not like this guy, but couldn't come up with a good enough reason, other than the fact he had a longtime relationship with Loor and she acted like a girl with a crush whenever she was around him. But that wasn't enough reason not to like him. At least that's what my brain told me. My heart was pushing me the other way.

“This switching station has been closed for quite some time,” Loor said.

“Without water it will not reopen,” Bokka said somberly. “But I have more disturbing news.”

“It gets worse?” I asked.

“There has been a general retreat,” Bokka explained. “The Tiggen guards have been ordered back from outlying regions of the underground.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means we are preparing for war,” Teek said.

Bokka added, “The fear is that if we are scattered when the Batu attack, we will be slaughtered. Right now all Rokador are gathering in the city of Kidik in anticipation of an attack. We are the last of the Tiggen guard who are spreading the word and rounding up stragglers. The future looks grim.”

Nobody said anything for a while. The idea of being on the verge of a war tends to stop conversation.

I finally said, “So what you're saying is that unless there's a huge rainstorm that fills the rivers, it's war.”

“The answer to that lies with the Batu,” Bokka answered. “The Rokador are simply preparing to defend themselves. We are victims of the drought as well. We have little water and the Batu no longer bring us crops. I understand they barely have enough to feed themselves.”

“It is true,” Loor said.

“Then the future does indeed look grim,” Bokka said.

“What do your leaders say?” I asked. “Can't they bring water from someplace else? I mean, all of Zadaa can't be dry.”

“We ask the same thing,” Bokka answered. “The elite tell us they have done everything they can. They can't reach out to all of Zadaa. We are at the mercy of the weather, just as the Batu are…only we are being blamed for the problem.”

He looked at me and asked, “I know you are here to help, Pendragon. I'm not sure how you can do that, unless you have a way to make it rain. Do you?”

The guy wasn't being sarcastic. He really hoped I could do it.

“Afraid not,” I said. “The Yankees are good, but not that good.”

Bokka nodded in acceptance.

“Can you bring us now?” Loor asked.

“Yes, come,” Bokka said.

Bokka turned on his heel and walked off quickly, followed by Teek and the other two goons. Loor followed them, and the rest of us went with her.

“Where are we going?” I asked Loor.

“To a safe place away from prying eyes,” she answered.

Bokka and his buddies led us through a series of tunnels, each of which looked exactly like the last. They were passageways that were dug right out of the sandstone. Some were barely wide enough for Alder's shoulders; others were as wide as a school corridor with various pieces of equipment and pipes running through them. We passed several wooden doors, all closed. It was amazing to think that these people had created an entire world underground. It wasn't like the fabulous underground of Third Earth. No way. This was all very crude. But there was light. Every few yards I saw small domes imbedded in the wall that gave off a soft, yellow glow. I didn't think they had electricity, so I figured it had to be some kind of phosphorous. The result wasn't exactly bright, but I had no trouble seeing where I was going.

After three turns I wished I had done a Hansel-and-Gretel move by dropping breadcrumbs to mark our route. There was no way I could find my way back. If I got ditched, I'd be lost. We had been walking for about ten minutes when the tunnel opened up into a larger cavern that had several other tunnels leading off it.

“This is called ‘the crossroads,'” Loor announced.

The name fit. What stood out most though, was a set of heavy, wooden doors that had to be twenty feet tall.

“What's in there?” I asked.

Bokka looked at us, as if debating whether or not to answer.

“You do not have to tell us, Bokka,” Loor said.

Bokka let out a tired breath and said, “No, we're friends. We should be honest with one another. It is a central water-transfer station. This station controls many of the smaller stations, like the one near the waterfall. My team has been assigned to stand guard here.” He nodded to Teek and his other pals. They immediately stood in front of the closed doors with their arms folded, looking all sorts of menacing.

“It's okay,” I said. “We don't want to go in.”

Bokka said, “We're afraid this would be one of the first targets if the Batu attack.”

“No offense,” I said. “But if a whole bunch of Ghee warriors come charging down here, those guys won't be able to stop them.”

“Then they will die trying,” Bokka said, staring me right in the eye.

He was totally serious. These guys were willing to die to defend their tribe. It was a weird situation. Bokka and Loor were friends, but technically they were also enemies. If a war did erupt, this would get interesting…and not in a good way.

Bokka looked to his pals and announced, “I will return shortly. Teek, you are in command.”

Teek gave a quick wave to acknowledge. The others didn't react, no big surprise. We continued on, following Bokka into one of the tunnels off the intersection. We had only gone a few yards when he stopped at another wooden door. I don't know why he chose this one, they all pretty much looked the same to me.

“This is where I leave you,” Bokka said to Loor. “You know how to handle this, right?”

“I believe I was the one who taught you,” Loor countered.

“Yes, you were.” Bokka chuckled. “Among other things.”

I didn't want to know what any of those “other” things were.

“You are a good friend, Bokka,” Loor said. “I do not know what the future holds for either of us, but please know that you will forever be in my heart.”

The two hugged. It was kind of an awkward moment for the rest of us. At least for me, anyway. I looked at Alder and said casually, “So? You getting any trouble from that lousy cannibal Red Sox tribe?”

Alder gave me a blank look. Of course.

“Good-bye, Pendragon,” Bokka said. “And good luck.” He awkwardly held out his hand to shake, knowing that it was a sign of friendship where I come from. Like I said, I wanted to hate the guy…but I didn't. I shook his hand. This time he didn't squeeze so tightly.

“Thanks, Bokka,” I said. “Take care of yourself.”

Bokka nodded to Alder and Saangi, saying, “Good-bye, friends. When we meet again, I hope it will be under better circumstances.” He gave one last look to Loor, then turned and jogged back toward the crossroads.

“So, what's this all about?” I asked Loor.

“We need a secure place for you to train,” she answered. “Bokka has provided a way for us to get there without being seen.” She opened the wooden door to reveal a room that was like most of the other caverns we had been in, except for one little difference. Sitting in the center of the room was a miniature train. It looked pretty much like a train you'd see at an amusement park. There were four cars in all. The two in the center were open. Each held around ten seats. On either end was an “engine” with two seats. I couldn't tell what powered the thing, but each engine had an enclosed front that I assumed held some sort of motor. The engines actually reminded me of snowmobiles, except they weren't as modern-looking and were covered with a thin layer of sand. The vehicle sat on two rails that were about three feet apart.